cats vs rabbits

so ill soon be moving to a place where i can have a pet. i have had cats several times in the past but im thinking about a rabbit or two. what are your thoughts and opinions on what i should get?

Certainly rabbits! They are so cute and soft! And they are also very gentle and intelligent, if a bit stubborn.

Definitely rabbits! I'm not sure about owning a cat. You're place is going to smell unpleasant. Don't you think?

Both are cute and fuzzy and sometimes like to snuggle with you and be petted. BUT:

Un-neutered males of both species will spray urine to mark territory. Sometimes females will, too. Rabbit urine can be red, even when they are healthy so a splatter on the wall can look like a murder scene.

Cats can be left to roam the house generally unsupervised. They'll usually climb onto furniture/appliances whether you want them to or are aware they do. Sometimes they knock things over and break them if they're bored.

Rabbits will chew on inappropriate things and must have the area 'rabbit proofed' before being allowed to roam free in the house. Or you will have a dead rabbit (at the least) or a burned down house (at the worst) because they decided to chew an electrical cord. They also have habits of chewing up carpet/furniture and even walls out of boredom. That doesn't mean this -will- happen, it -might-. Because rabbits -need- to gnaw on things. So you have to give them things that they can chew on.

Cats and rabbits can be trained to use a litter box. Cats do it naturally in most cases but rabbits have to learn what is for pooping and peeing in. (Usually accomplished by putting a hay-rack over the bunny toilet. They tend to go poop/pee when they eat. Rabbit urine STINKS. (As does cat urine, but rabbits seem more likely to have accidents around the area than a cat does.)

Veterinarians who treat cats are common, but not all vets treat rabbits. Most can treat rabbits, but be sure to call around and make sure. You don't want a sick bunny and not know just where to rush them to for help! (I have a guinea pig and the only vet that treats them in my area is two towns and an hour long drive away!)

Both are excellent choices as pets, but they each come with their own troubles and special needs. :3

Cats gotta have a scratching post, rabbits gotta have hay (note that it's not 'like to', it's 'have to'.)

Which is another thing to consider...if you're allergic to hay, I'd lean hard for the kitty. I'm allergic to hay and have had non-stop breathing issues since I got my guinea pig. XD (I knew it going in, though, and I still think he's an adorable little fuzz nugget, but after having him for this long I don't think I would get another one.)

ALSO! You need a cage for the rabbit to sleep in/be in when you can't be nearby to make sure they aren't getting into trouble. And bigger is better. My guinea pig has an eight square foot 'house'. (4ft long x 2ft wide)

I've gotta go to work now, so I have to cut this shorter than I would like. If you've got any other questions, just ask! I've had so many different animals in my life that I can tell you what the hardest part of having them is going to be. (If you can get over the bad, you'll get to the 'fun'. :3)

I an not add much to CuddleWoozle's post, but to add teeth!!!!

Rabbits have continually growing teeth so they have to have things to chew on.

Also rabbits are high temperature sensitive, so they need to be below 72 degrees.

I have both however the rabbit is an outside pet and still just as spoiled.

We kept rabbits for a while for food. Few of them had the sort of temperament I'd look for in a pet. That's not a knock on rabbits, I think it's just genetics until you really breed for petlike tendencies as we have with dogs and cats. A sweet-tempered rabbit Is great but just in general between the two, I think I'd opt towards a cat. Dogs are way better than either as far as I'm concerned but not always feasible.

Cats 100% every time, got 3 of them atm, had rabbits in the past.

Rabbits will smell up the place more that a cat will. Cats pretty much sleep most of the day anyway.
Also cats are very therapeutic and generally know when you're feeling down or have had bad news (well mine do anyway).

If you decide to go Cat, re home one (I don't think anyone buys cats anymore), give a rescue cat a loving home, all 3 of mine are. 1 was a stay that adopted us, 2 was abandoned after she had kittens, 3 was my Uncles who passed away last year do we adopted her.

Lastly Cats are awesome.

P.S. We need cat emotes.

Never had a Rabbit, but I've had cats most of my life and they are generally easy to take care of and dont cause too much damage in the house when you cant be home.

I also love to lay down with cats, but these days my dog will usually not allow any of my cats too close to me because she wants 100% of my love and attention (so she will act mean just to scare the cats away, but she would never actually hurt them)

I would recommend a chinchilla there so soft and cool

Chinchillas are very soft and nice to touch, but also are NOT cuddly. They don't like to be held.

I...honestly don't recommend a chinchilla without a -lot- of research first. They need specialized supplies (Wooden ledges for jumping on and a dust bath that will spread dust far and wide. LOL) and a large (expensive!) cage. The most popular ones are modified Ferret Nation cages which cost around $250. Because they don't like being picked up and held and are a prey species, if they get out unexpectedly you will have a terrible time catching them again. (And the little fuzzbutts are FAST.)

And yes, the rabbit needs a cage, but theirs are a LOT cheaper and easier to deal with.

Just a note on cages: The cheap rabbit cages sold at pet stores are actually inappropriately sized for a permanent living space. They're way too small for a bunny to live in without any 'outside' time to run and play. That's actually the same across the board. Hamster cages are too small, guinea pig cages are horrendously too small (they actually like to run and shouldn't use a wheel/ball because it can cause spinal injuries!) And also the flooring in many of them is either wrong or outright dangerous. Rabbit cages usually come with wire mesh so when the bunny poops, it drops into a pan. That's fine, but they need a solid surface/resting mat to sit on so that they don't develop sore hocks. Sometimes though the wire spacing on the floors is too wide and the animal gets it's toe or foot (or even leg) caught in it and when they naturally freak out they'll break their leg/foot/toe. I had a bunny with a 'witchy toe' because that happened before I got her.

(And a bonus fun fact about guinea pigs: You don't need a top for a guinea pig cage as long as the sides are higher than they can stand. Guinea pigs don't climb and they don't jump very well. So as long as there are no other pets who can get at them, you can have an 'open living plan'. ;3 That's how I was able to build my own guinea pig house out of wire shelving for closets!)

I had a Cat adopt me. Not the other way around. He comes in walk in the door and lays down like he owns the place.

I've had both. Cat!

If you get a rabbit, you'll need another one to keep it company. Rabbits are social creatures and will become depressed if they don't have other rabbits around them.

Cats aren't very nice.

[video=youtube;bYXt9UVqFk8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYXt9UVqFk8[/video]

But...there are plenty of bunnies behaving badly, too.

[video=youtube;XXHC8xN-Gbw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXHC8xN-Gbw[/video]

This guy is SUPER NAUGHTY!

You can have a single rabbit, but you have to spend LOADS of time with them in that case so they don't feel lonely. (But even then they might be lonely for another bunny friend.) Thanks, I forgot about that because I always have multiples anyway. XD If you get two, make sure they're both the same gender or a neutered male and a female. Or you will soon be buried in bunnies. Most animals are actually like this, though. (I think...hamsters are some of the few that aren't terribly social with each other. I did have two guinea pigs but one unfortunately passed away, but the one I do have is right at the end of my bed and sees me all the time. And I tell him he's a stinky fuzz-nugget all the time and he tells me to mind my own business 'cause I'm a wet woozle. XD)

I already knew this is an awesome forum, but sometimes I am still surprised by the variety of topics, like an in depth discussion about pet rabbits. A very small sized hamster is all I can manage but still a very interesting read...
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